Students returning to Clarksville-Montgomery County Schools this year were met with a new poster on the walls. It's an image of the Statue of Liberty rising from the mist with these words in bold type: "In God We Trust."

Those words are required to be displayed in all Tennessee schools, under a new state law. The law gave districts a lot of leeway in how to meet the requirement, including having students draw images with the words in them.

The local school district is meeting the requirement through distribution of a poster, according to schools spokeswoman Elise Shelton, and it was designed by the district's first intern, Adia Muhammad.

It's a big assignment for a 17-year-old who just graduated from Rossview High School and is preparing for her first year in college.

For people of all faiths

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Adia Muhammad, 17, is a senior at Rossview High School.(Photo: Tony Centonze/For The Leaf-Chronicle)

Muhammad, 17, who is a devout Christian herself and the daughter of a Baptist pastor, said she looked for a patriotic image that would go with the words, something that wouldn't be "too imposing."

"I tried to think from the point of view of someone who's not a Christian," she said.

She chose the Statue of Liberty because it's something subtle that appeals to people of all faiths, saying she hoped to "lighten the blow for people who did not agree."

The poster shows the Statue of Liberty rising from surrounding clouds, with the motto below framed in green, then below that the Latin words "E Pluribus Unum," or "Out of Many, One." That was considered the de facto U.S. motto until it was replaced by "In God We Trust" as the official national motto in 1956.

"I hope it's well-received," Muhammad said.

She said her parents have told her of how when they were growing up there was prayer in schools, and religious statements were more common. "I feel like this is a step down from that, but I don't want anyone to think it's being forced on them. I hope it has a positive impact for those who do trust in God."

Her family lives in Clarksville, but they attend Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church located in Waverly, where her father is pastor.

Muhammad, who graduated from the Academy of Media and Technology at RHS this year, will be attending Washington and Jefferson College in Pennsylvania in a couple of weeks. She plans to major in education and international studies, hoping to teach English abroad.

And she loved being the first intern for CMCSS. "The internship has been really great. Better than I imagined," she said.

She's impressed her supervisors, too. "She is mature beyond her years and is an amazing young woman," Shelton said.

Posters, plaques, templates

Across the state, school systems are using a variety of solutions, from emailed templates to formal plaques.

K. Dawn Rutledge, Metro Nashville Public Schools public information officer, said schools were being given templates and instructions for how to comply with the state law.

"Then the school can decide if they want to get the students involved in making one to the extent that is allowable," Rutledge said. "We have a diverse student body with various beliefs, so it most certainly will not be mandatory" for students to get involved in creating the displays.

The legislation's House sponsor, Rep. Susan Lynn, R-Mt. Juliet, spoke on the House floor to explain her belief in the importance of the motto.

"Our national motto is on our money. It's on our license plates. It's part of our national anthem. Our national motto and founding documents are the cornerstone of freedom, and we should teach our children about these things," she said.

According to Treasury.gov, the phrase "In God We Trust" was first used on U.S. money in 1864, when it appeared on the 2-cent coin.

Mary Constantine contributed to this report. Reach Chris Smith at chrissmith@theleafchronicle.com or 931-245-0282 and on Twitter @cssmithwrites.